Telephone attachment.



PATENTBD MAR. 22, 1904;

J. BLUM. TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION I'ILBD MAY 23, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented March 8, 1904.

JOSEPH BLUM, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

.TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming par of L r Pat n N 754,041, dated March 8, 1904. Application filed May 23, 1903. Serial No. 158,435. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOSEPH BLUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a sanitary mouthpiece for a telephone whereby the dangers of contagion and infection to which the users of a telephone are exposed in the use thereof are reduced to aminimum. The mouthpiece of a telephone as now in universal use is subject to the accumulation of filth,dust, and secretions of the mouth it contains. The dust, the vehicle of tuberculosis germs, the secretion of eczema, the secretions of carious teeth, and themany other diseases of the mouth are more or less dangerous to the health of the user of a telephone and certainly very obnoxious. These dangers are to a great extent overcome in the use of the sanitary telephone-mouthpiece which I have invented.

The invention is clean, will not collect dust, and its construction prevents the placing of the lips in contact with the mouthpiece of the telephone, yet at the same time it does not interfere with the mechanism of the instrument. In fact, it rather acts to the contrary, preventing the user from placing the mouth too close to the transmitter, thus insuring clearer transmission of the voice and at the same time performing the sanitary functions claimed for it.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the attachment as attached to the mouthpiece of a telephone. Fig. 2 represents another View of the attachment attached to the mouthpiece of a telephone in a diiferent manner.

In Fig. 1 the numeral 1 represents an annular diskmade from sheet metal, a fiber composition, or rubber, but preferably of metal, having the extensions 2 3 4 projecting from the outward edge of said disk and bent downwardly and inwardly at an angle to the disk far enough to slip over the mouthpiece 6 and being made of metal, fiber composition, or rubber having enough spring to engage the mouthpiece 6 and clamp onto the same, firmly holding it in position. 5 5' 5 5 5 5 are arms or fingers attached to the disk 1, with balled ends to prevent pricking the face or mouth when in use, said arms or fingers being attached to the disk and being perpendicular to said disk up to about one-half the length of said fingers or arms and thence bent inwardly and outwardly again until they are perpendicular again to the inner circle of the circular disk. The fingers or arms to-perform their functions properly should be not less than three in number and as many more as may be desirable and should be distributed equally apart around the circular disk.

In Fig. 2 the numeral 6 represents the mouthpiece of a telephone. 7 is a circular band of rubber hollowed or scalloped out at 10, leaving the projections 8 8 8 8 8 8 and perforated at 9, whereby it is first slipped over the mouthpiece 6, and then the fingers or arms 11 are inserted through the perforations 9, and by means of the elasticity of the rubber the attachment is held firmly in position against the mouthpiece 6. The fingers or arms 11 are attached to the disk 1, as shown in Fig. 1, with balled ends to prevent the pricking of the face or mouth when in use, said arms or fingers being attached to the disk and being bent perpendicular to said disk up to about one-half the length of said fingers or arms and thence inwardly and outwardly again until they are perpendicular again to the inner circle of'the annular disk. Said fingers 0r arms'to perform their functions properly should be not less than three in number and as many more as may be desirable and should be distributed equally apart around the annular disk.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim is- 1. A sanitary attachment for a telephone made of an annular disk and provided with arms or fingers attached to said disk and being perpendicular to said disk up to about one-half the length of said arms or fingers and thence bent inwardly and thence outwardly again until they are perpendicular again to the inner circle of the said annular disk, said annular disk'having extensions projecting from the outside edge thereof and bent downwardly annular disk being provided with extensions projecting from the outer edge thereof and bent downwardly and inwardly so as to engage with the mouthpiece of a telephone substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH BLUM.

Witnesses ROBERT C. RHODES, E. WALTON BREWINGTON. 

